Effects of an Enhanced Self-Efficacy Program on Stroke Prevention Behaviors among Patients with Hypertension

Abstract

Patients with hypertension are at increased risk of stroke, which can result in disability and death; however, stroke can be prevented by promoting appropriate preventive behaviors among patients. This quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate the effects of an enhanced self-efficacy program on stroke prevention behaviors in patients with hypertension. The sample consisted of 34 hypertensive patients receiving treatment at the Chronic Illness Clinic of Non Din Daeng Hospital. The participants were assigned to experimental and control groups, with 17 participants in each group. The experimental group received the enhanced self-efficacy program for eight weeks, while the control group received routine nursing care. The instrument for collecting data was a questionnaire on stroke prevention behaviors with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.81. The Thai Mental State Examination (TMSE.) was also used for screening elderly patients. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, paired sample t-test, and independent sample t-test.

          The results showed that after the experimental group received the intervention, the mean score for stroke prevention behaviors (𝑥̅ = 4.02, S.D. = .31) was significantly higher than before the intervention (𝑥̅ = 3.57, S.D. = .29, t = 6.39, p < .05). Additionally, the experimental group’s post-intervention scores were higher than those of the control group (𝑥̅ = 3.75, S.D. = .29, t = 2.60, p < .05). These findings suggest that nurses caring for hypertensive patients in chronic illness clinics should apply enhanced self-efficacy programs to promote effective stroke prevention behaviors.